Adjustable flask or jacket



Sept 16, 195,8 A G. VA. HENRY 2,851,751

.ADJUSTABLE FLASK OR JACKET Filed Dec. 3, 193e INVENTOR GERARD A. HENRY ATTORNEY United States Patent() ADJUSTABLE FLASK OR JACKET Gerard A. Henry, Worcester, Mass.

Application December 3, 1956, Serial No. 625,673 s claims. (ci. zz-loo) This invention relates to a new and improved adjustable fiask or jacket, and the principal object of the invention resides in the provision of a relatively simple and easily adjusted device of the class described which may be used for many different sizes of moldings to obviate the necessity for having a complete different jacket for each molding of different size, thereby reducing the cost of the investment in such jackets and rendering the same more efficient and easier to use.

Other objects of the invention include the provision of a jacket as above described, said jacket comprising a series of corner pieces each of which is adapted to be connected to an adjacent corner member by means of an insert and there being inter-engaging means on said in. serts and said corner pieces for connecting the inserts in position to complete the jacket, there being a series of inserts of different sizes for each set of corner pieces so that jackets of any size can be provided very quickly.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of an adjustable jacket according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation on an enlarged scale illustrating an insert;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the insert of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a modification;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view illustrating a corner of a modified device;

Fig. 6 is a view in front elevation; and

Fig. 7 is a top plan View of the device of Fig. 6, looking in the direction of arrow 7 in Fig. 6.

A jacket is a term applied to a type of enclosure which is substituted for the flask in molding operations to hold the sand mold in position while the same is being poured and during cooling. Where a foundry is producing castings of different sizes, different sized sand molds are made and many different sizes of jackets are therefore required, and the present invention provides a device for obviating the necessity of having a great many different sizes of jackets by the use of a single adjustable construction.

As shown in Fig. 1, there are four corner pieces, these being indicated generally at 10, 12, 14 and 16. Each corner piece preferably comprises a pair of wall members such as at 18 and 20, these wall members being at angles to each other and firmly connected together by some means such as the fasteners, bolts, etc. shown at 22 in Fig. l, these bolts extending through the wall 18 and a flange 24 on the wall 20.

The walls 18 and 20 are relatively short and adjacent their ends, each is provided with an elongated vertical rectangular guide-block 26 in which is provided a fasten ing such as a thumbscrew 28. These guide-blocks are fixed in position.

The Various walls are adapted to be secured together and provide an even, continuous inner wall, by means of the inserts which are shown particularly in Figs. 2 and 3. Each insert comprises a main at body portion 29 which is provided with a pair of elongated slots 30 which extend upwardly from the lower edge 32 thereof as best shown in Fig. 2. A handle or finger-piece 34 is provided at the front edge of the insert and at the rear surface thereof there is a rearwardly-extending block 36 having a thickness equal to the thickness of the walls.

The walls 20, 20 are positioned apart in the desired size of jacket which is to be used, and by selecting an insert of the right size, the same is slid down with the block 36 extending between the free ends of these walls and the slots 30, 30 accommodating the rectangular guideblocks 26. When the insert is in position, the thumbnuts 28 are tightened to hold the insert in fixed rigid condition. This construction is repeated about the periphery of the jacket as clearly shown in Fig. 1, and the interior wall ofthe jacket is straight, continuous and smooth with the exception of the usual gas vents 38. However, there are no holes or voids of any kind in the walls of this adjustable jacket and therefore the mold is firmly and permanently held in position as long as the jacket remains in place.

Although Fig. 1 shows the jacket as having straight walls, these walls may be tapered as clearly indicated at 40 in Fig. 5 if desired, but this makes no difference in the construction or operation of the invention.

As shown in Fig. 4, the jacket may comprise walls 42 bolted to flanges 44 of walls 46. Walls 42 have flanges 48 for bolting to flanges 5G and 54 of an insert 52. The walls 46 are also provided with flanges as at 56 and these are adapted to be bolted to further inserts as at 57. In any event, the adjustable jacket illustrated in Fig. 4 also provides a smooth, continuous inner wall without gaps or voids.

Another modification of the device is shown in Figs. 6

' and 7 wherein a wall 58 is connected to a wall 60 by means of a flange 62. Wall 58 is provided with a flat guideway 64 secured thereto by any desired means at the forward surface thereof, and this guideway slidingly receives a bifurcated connection piece 66 which slidingly cooperates with a thumbnut 68 for securing the slide 66 in any adjusted longitudinal position. The slide 66 is connected to wall 70 as shown at 72 and thus the walls 70 and 58 are adjustably connected. A gap between the ends of these walls is closed by means of a sliding member 74 having side fins 76 which are guidingly received in slots 78 in the ends of the respective walls 58 and 70. In this case also, the adjustable jacket is provided with smooth, continuous interior walls that closely hold the sand molds and do not allow escape of the particles thereof.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

l. An adjustable jacket comprising a series of corner pieces, each corner piece including a pair of walls rigidly secured together and arranged at angles with respect to each other, each wall having a free end, an insert to be secured between the free ends of the walls of the respective corner pieces, means securing said inserts in position, said inserts forming continuations of said walls which are cornplete and continuous around the jacket, and each insert comprising a thicker central porti-on located between and connecting the said free ends and extending laterally beyond the same, and a pair of side pieces overlapping the said ends, the securing means being located on said ends, and means on the side pieces receiving said securing means.

2. An adjustable jacket comprising a series of corner pieces, each corner piece including a pair of walls rigidly secured together and arranged at angles with respect to each other, each wall'having a free end, an insert `to be secured between the free ends of the walls of the respective corner pieces, and means securing said inserts in position, saidinserts forming continuations of said walls which arev complete and continuous around the jacket, and interengaging guiding means-on the walls and the inserts for locating the inserts and holding the same in position between the endsiof said walls, said wall guiding means being located at the side aspects of said free end portions, and side pieces on the inserts overlapping the free end portions, said side pieces mounting the insert guiding means thereon.

3. The'jacket of claim 2 wherein said inter-engaging means `comprises inter-engaging coacting tongues and slots.

4. The jacket of `claim 2 wherein said inter-engaging means comprises inter-engaging coacting tongues and slots, said tongues being arranged on said walls and acting to hold the walls together through the intermediary of the insert.

5. The jacket of claim 2 wherein said inter-engaging means comprises inter-engaging coacting tongues and slots, said tongues and slots being arranged parallel to said walls, and means securing the walls together, said means extending from one wall across the insert to another wall.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

